Method and apparatus for providing predefined feedback

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus utilized in operating a feedback forum in an online auction environment is described. Instead of allowing users of the system to enter freeform comments for and about other users, a number of predefined feedback comments are provided that relate to an auction transaction. Users leaving feedback for other users are permitted to select a comment they desire to leave for or about another user relative to a transaction. The predefined feedback comments selected by the users are associated with the users whom the comment is about, and at some time thereafter, the predefined feedback comment is displayed for viewing by other users of the system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/740,502, filed Dec. 19, 2000, and is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/722,739 filed Dec. 20, 2012, applications thatare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Contained herein is material that is subject to copyright protection.The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction ofthe patent disclosure by any person as it appears in the Patent andTrademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves allrights to the copyright whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to the art of conducting e-commercetransactions over a network. More particularly, the invention relates toa method of providing feedback between users of an e-commerce siteutilizing predefined sets of comments.

2. Background of the Invention

The emergence of electronic commerce has revolutionized the manner inwhich goods and services may be bought and sold. In particular, thedevelopment of online auctions conducted over the Internet have enabledindividuals to sell items with relatively little effort or expense whileat the same time reaching a much larger potential pool of buyers thanusing more traditional means such as classified advertising and garagesales.

In a typical online auction, a seller submits an offer to sell an item,the item becomes available for bidding for a predetermined period oftime. Buyers are able to view a description and often an image of theitem, and submit bids. The potential buyer who tenders the highest bid“wins” the auction provided his bid is in excess of any minimum pricerequired by the seller, and a contractual obligation is created in whichthe buyer and seller are required to complete the transaction.

It is the completion of the transaction, i.e., the exchange of theseller's item for the buyer's payment that is the potentially mostperilous part of the transaction. More often than not, a buyer andseller are located far apart from each other, often in separate statesor countries (from herein state or states unless otherwise stated shallrefer to both states of the United States, as well as other countries ornations). Accordingly, the promised item and payment must be shipped viathe post or some other package delivery service. A seller may requestpayment prior to shipping the item or the seller may require cash ondelivery (COD). In either case, the buyer will not have the opportunityto verify the item was as the seller represented it, until afterpayment. The item shipped may end up being broken or in worse conditionthan represented; or if the seller is particularly unscrupulous, a dummyitem may be shipped in place of the promised item. On the reverse, wherea buyer pays with a check, he may stop payment on the check shortlyafter receiving the item, defrauding the seller of his item. Given thegeographic distance between the typical buyer and seller and therelatively small values of the items being bought and sold, it is seldompractical for the aggrieved buyer or seller to seek recourse in thecourts.

In order to combat the problem of dishonest and/or unscrupulous users,online auction services such as eBay, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., haveinstituted mechanisms to combat fraudulent and dishonest practices amongbuyers and sellers. For instance, eBay requires each user to registerwith the service before offering an item for auction or bidding on anitem. In order to complete registration, the user must provide either averifiable e-mail address (i.e., one that cannot be easily set up usinga pseudonym) or a credit card number. If eBay determines that aregistered user is utilizing improper buying or selling practices, itcan ban the user from using the auction facility in the future.

Another practice used by some auction services is to provide the buyerand seller with a feedback forum in which either user can leave commentsabout the other that may be of use to other users in the future indeciding whether to bid or sell from a particular user. Comments aretypically positive, but a few negative comments can act to indicate auser that is not completely honest and who should be dealt withcautiously.

A representative example of a list of comments made about a user isprovided in prior art FIG. 1 (the e-mail addresses of the users havebeen masked). A score that is indicative of the user's trustworthinesswith regard to online auction transactions is determined based upon thenumber of positive, neutral and negative comment the user has received.Comments about registered user may be entered into the system through afeedback forum or through a feedback prompt provided to the successfulbidder and the auctioneer upon the conclusion of a particular auctiontransaction.

Prior art FIG. 2 provides an example of a feedback screen that may bedisplayed to a user who desires to leave a comment about another user.The commenting user enters his or her ID into box 205, and his passwordinto box 210. The ID of the user being commented on (or targeted user)is entered into box 215 and the transaction to which the comment isrelated is entered into box 220. The commenting user chooses theappropriate radio button as shown at 225 to indicate whether the commentis positive, neutral or negative. A free-form text comment is left inbox 230 that can be up to 80 characters long. Finally, the comment issent to the auction service for posting by clicking the “leave comment”box 235.

Once a comment is posted about a targeted user, that user may leave aresponding comment to which the commenting user may respond. Since boththe buyer and the seller may leave a comment with regard to atransaction, and respond to each other's comments and subsequentlyrespond to each other responses, a total of up to six comments may beleft for any single transaction.

Each comment is typically associated with the user making the commentand the user for whom the comment is intended, as well as thetransaction to which the comment relates. Each comment must be stored inthe auction service's storage devices. It can be appreciated that wherea large number of auctions are regularly being concluded, the amount ofstorage space required to store all feedback comments is very large. Forexample, if the maximum of six 80-character comments are left for eachtransaction, approximately 0.5 kilobytes of storage space is necessaryto store the comments. If it is considered that a service like eBayconcludes tens of millions of auctions each year and that comments aboutparticular users are stored for years, the amount of storage space issignificant.

A feedback system as described above also presents several otherproblems: (1) there is no efficient and convenient manner of translatingcomments into other languages, and (2) in certain jurisdictions, theauction service may face liability for publishing slanderous comments orcomments with inappropriate content. In current feedback systems, acommenting user may leave a comment in any language he desires. Forinstance, a German user may purchase an item from a U.S. user and at theconclusion of the transaction, leave a comment about the U.S. user inGerman. This comment will have little meaning to other U.S. users whoview the comments about the U.S. user unless they read German.Essentially in this situation, the feedback system, at least partially,fails in its purpose of providing useful information to auction usersabout other users.

Given the sheer volume of comments left each day on a large system likeeBay, it is impractical to screen every comment for slanderous orlibelous language before posting the comment on the system for otherusers to read. Accordingly, users may leave inappropriate comments forother users, which may cause the auction service which published thecomment to incur civil and/or criminal liability for the comment underthe laws of certain states. For instance, the slander and libel laws ofGreat Britain are stricter than those in the United States, and incertain Muslim states, publishing comments containing language of aninappropriate nature may be viewed as illegal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus utilized in operating a feedback forum whereinpredefined feedback comments are provided to users of an e-commercesystem are described. First, the feedback system receives a request froma first user to leave feedback concerning a second user. The feedbacksystem generates a set of predefined feedback comments that are to bedisplayed to the first user, and each comment is associated with anidentifier. Upon receipt of a response form the first user, the systemidentifies the selected predefined comment about the second user, andthe system stores the indicator in a data structure that is associatedwith the second user.

Other features of the present invention will be apparent from theaccompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a prior art illustration of a web page listing of commentsabout a user of an Internet-based auction service.

FIG. 2 is a prior art illustration of an online feedback form that isutilized by one user to leave a comment about another user.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary computer system on which threeembodiments of the invention may be practiced.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an Internet Auction Facility through whichembodiments of the invention may be practiced.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary database structure for anauction facility of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a flowcharts listing an exemplary methodology foroperating a feedback forum.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrations of a feedback form that may be used bythe winner of an Internet auction to leave feedback for the seller.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are illustrations of a feedback form that may be used bythe seller to leave feedback for the winner of an Internet auction.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a feedback form that may be used by aseller in an Internet auction to respond to a comment left about him bythe winner of the auction.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an alternative methodology ofoperating a feedback forum that incorporates both freeform andpredefined feedback comments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus are described to facilitate the operation of afeedback forum in an e-commerce environment wherein comments areselected by a user from a predefined set presented to the user, forexample, as a menu. Compared with prior art feedback forums, embodimentsof the invention facilitate the efficient use of storage space bystoring the predefined comments a minimum number of times and providingindicators or pointers within the stored user's database records thecomments made about the user. In another embodiment, the predefinedcomment may be translated into any number of different languages, anddepending on an indication of a default or preferred language of a userviewing his comments or those of another user, the comments may beprovided in the default or preferred language. Finally, since thecomments are predefined, they can be written to avoid liability underthe slander or other laws of various states.

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout some of these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures and devices are shown in block diagram form.

The present invention includes various operations which will bedescribed below. The operations of the present invention may beperformed by hardware components or may be embodied inmachine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause ageneral-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with theinstructions to perform the operations. Alternatively, the operationsmay be performed by a combination of hardware and software.

The present invention may be provided as a computer program product thatmay include a machine-readable medium having stored thereoninstructions, which may be used to program a computer (or otherelectronic devices) to perform a process according to the presentinvention. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limitedto, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks,ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, flash memory, orother type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storingelectronic instructions. Moreover, the present invention may also bedownloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may betransferred from a remote computer to a requesting computer by way ofdata signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium viaa communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).

Exemplary Computer System

FIG. 3 is an example of a typical computer system upon which embodimentsof the present invention may be practiced. In the various embodiments,computer system 300 may be utilized as a server on which informationincluding feedback comments about the various users of an e-commercesystem is stored. Furthermore, computer system 300 may be used by a userto participate in an Internet auction including reading and leavingfeedback comments.

Computer system 300 comprises a bus or other communication means 301 forcommunicating information, and a processing means such as processor 302coupled with bus 301 for processing information. Computer system 300further comprises a random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or otherdynamic storage device 304 (referred to as main memory), coupled to bus301 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor302. Main memory 304 also may be used for storing temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of instructions byprocessor 302. Computer system 300 may also comprise a read-only memory(ROM) and/or other static storage device 306 coupled to bus 301 forstoring static information and instructions for processor 302. A datastorage device 307 such as a magnetic disk or optical disk and itscorresponding drive may also be coupled to computer system 300 forstoring information and instructions. In some architectures, a singlememory device may perform the functions of two or more of the ROM 306,the main memory 304, and the mass storage device 307. In otherarchitectures such as might be implemented with a server, the system 300might have multiple mass storage devices 307.

Computer system 300 can also be coupled via bus 301 to a display device321 such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD),for displaying information to an end user. Typically, an alphanumericinput device 322, including alphanumeric and other keys, may be coupledto bus 301 for communicating information and/or command selections toprocessor 302. Another type of user input device that may be included inthe computer system 300 is a cursor control 323, such as a mouse, atrackball, a pen in conjunction with a touch sensitive screen, or cursordirection keys for communicating direction information and commandselections to processor 302 and for controlling cursor movement ondisplay 321.

A communication device 325 may also be coupled to bus 301. Thecommunication device 325 may include a modem, a network interface cardor other well-known interface devices, such as those used for couplingto Ethernet, token ring, or other types of physical attachment forpurposes of providing a communication link to support a local orwide-area network. In this manner, the computer system 300 may becoupled to a number of clients and/or servers via a conventional networkinfrastructure, such as the Internet.

It is appreciated that a lesser or more equipped computer system thanthe example described above may be desirable for certainimplementations. Therefore, the configuration of computer system 300will vary from implementation to implementation depending upon numerousfactors, such as price constraints, performance requirements,technological improvements, and/or other circumstances.

It should be noted that while the operations described herein may beperformed under the control of a programmed processor such as processor302, in alternative embodiments, the operations may be fully orpartially implemented by any programmable or hard-coded logic, such asField Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), TTL logic, or ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). Additionally, the method of thepresent invention may be performed by any combination of programmedgeneral-purpose computer components and/or custom hardware components.Therefore, nothing disclosed herein should be construed as limiting thepresent invention to a particular embodiment wherein the recited stepsare performed by a specific combination of hardware components.

Exemplary Internet Auction Facility

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary network-basedtransaction facility in the form of an Internet-based auction facility400 on which embodiments of the invention may be practiced. Whileexemplary embodiments of the invention are described within the contextof an auction facility, it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that the invention will find application in many different types ofe-commerce facilities.

The auction facility 400 includes one or more of a number of types offront-end servers, namely page servers 402 that deliver Web pages (e.g.,markup language documents), picture servers 404 that dynamically deliverimages to be displayed within Web pages, listing servers 406, CGI(Common Gateway Interface) or ISAPI servers 408 that provide anintelligent interface to the back-end of facility 400, and searchservers 410 that handle search requests to the facility 400. E-mailservers 412 provide, inter alia, automated e-mail communications tousers of the facility 400.

The back-end servers include a database engine server 414, a searchindex server 416, and a credit card database server 418, each of whichmaintains and facilitates access to a respective database 420, 422, 424.

The Internet-based auction facility 400 may be accessed by a clientprogram 428 such as a browser (e.g., the Internet Explorer distributedby Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash.) that executes on a client machine426 and accesses the facility 400 via a network such as, for example,the Internet 430. Other examples of networks that a client may utilizeto access the auction facility 400 include a wide area network (WAN), alocal area network (LAN), a wireless network (e.g., a cellular network),or the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) network.

Exemplary Internet Auction Database

FIG. 5 is a database diagram illustrating an exemplary database 520maintained by and accessed via the database engine server 514, which atleast partially implements and supports the auction facility 400. Thedatabase 520 may, in one embodiment, be implemented as a relationaldatabase, and includes a number of tables having entries or records thatare linked by indices and keys. In an alternative embodiment, thedatabase 514 may be implemented as a collection of objects in anobject-oriented database.

Central to the database 520 is a user table 500, which contains a recordfor each user of the auction facility 400. A user may operate as aseller, buyer, or both within the auction facility 500. The database 520also includes item tables 502 that may be linked to the user table 500.Specifically, the item tables 502 include a seller items table 504 and abidder items table 506. A user record in the user table 500 may belinked to multiple items that are being, or have been, auctioned via thefacility 400. A link indicates whether the user is a seller or a bidder(i.e., buyer) with respect to items for which records exist within theitem tables 502.

The database 414 also includes a note table 508 populated with noterecords that may be linked to one or more item records within the itemtables 502 and/or to one or more user records within the user table 500.Each note record within the note table 508 may include, inter alia, adescription, history or other information pertaining to an item beingauctioned via the auction facility 400 or to a user of the auctionfacility 400.

Also linked with the user table is one or more feedback tables 512 whichcontain information about comments made by and about each user of theauction facility 400. It is within this set of tables that indicatorsthat are linked to the predefined comments about a particular user arestored. Additionally, each indicator may be cross-referenced with regardto the transaction number to which the comment relates, as well as theuser who made the comment.

A number of other tables may be linked to the user table 500 including,but not limited to, a user past aliases table 510, a bids table 516, anaccounts table 518, an account balances table 520, and a transactionrecord table 522.

An Exemplary Feedback Forum Methodology

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow diagrams illustrating an exemplary methodology600 for a feedback forum in which comments may be left for users of ane-commerce system such as the Internet auction facility 400 describedsupra. It is to be noted that embodiments of the invention are notlimited to application in online auction environments alone, but may beimplemented in any e-commerce system in which users of the systeminteract.

In block 610 of FIG. 6A, the Internet auction facility 400 receives arequest from a user to leave feedback for another user. If the user hasjust concluded an auction for an item and is either the successfulbidder or the seller, he is prompted when viewing the items auction webpage to leave feedback for the other user(s) involved in the auction. Ifthe user chooses the prompt, typically displayed as an icon, theInternet auction facility 400 will send the user a markup languagefeedback forum page for display on the user's computer as indicated inblock 610. Alternatively, a user may enter proceed from any one of theInternet auction facility 400 web pages he is currently viewing into thefeedback forum by clicking the appropriate icon or hypertext link.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrations of exemplary feedback forms that maybe displayed to the user from which the user may choose a comment. It isunderstood, however, that many types of alternative feedback forms arecontemplated as would be obvious to one skilled in the art with thebenefit of this disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a form that may be displayed to a successful bidder.Typically, if the feedback forum is entered from an auction page for aparticular item and the successful bidder is already known to theauction facility, the feedback form will be returned with most of theparticulars of the auction filled in. If the bidder enters the feedbackforum from another link, he may have to fill in the information in theform including his ID and password, the targeted user's ID, and thetransaction number to which the comment relates. The form may list theseller of the item as shown in blocks 710 and 723. It may list the itemwhich was the subject of the auction as shown in 720, as well as listingthe transaction number of the auction as shown in block 721. Thesuccessful bidder would be prompted to enter his user password and userID (if not already filled in) in blocks 713 and 711 respectively. Theform will include a list of predefined comments from which the biddermay pick one comment about the seller (in other embodiments more thanone comment may be selected). The comments are contained within threedrop-down boxes 730-732, one box containing positive comments, one boxfor neutral comments, and another for negative comments. In otherembodiments, the predefined comments may be listed in any conceivablemanner such as, but not limited to, check boxes, single drop-down boxesfor all comment types, lists with radio buttons, and list boxes withscroll bars. Once the bidder has selected a comment and entered in hispassword, he may send the comment to the auction facility for posting byselecting the “Submit Comment” button 840.

Drop-down boxes 830-832 in their expanded form are illustrated in FIG.8B. A variety of comments are contained within each box. To maintain alevel of variety, the auction facility 400 may, on a periodic basis,change the content of the comments available to a user. In someembodiments as shown in blocks 841 and 843, the comments may have fieldsthat fill in the appropriate name of a user and/or item when displayed.Ideally, the predefined comments are written and selected by the auctionfacility administrators to: (1) minimize potential liability to theauction facility for slander against the target user, and (2) minimizepotential criminal and civil liability for publishing languageconsidered inappropriate by the state in which it is viewed.

FIG. 8A is a form that may be displayed to a seller who has justconcluded an auction. Typically, if the feedback forum is entered froman auction page for a particular item and the seller is already known tothe auction facility, the feedback form will be returned with most ofthe particulars of the auction filled in. If the seller enters thefeedback forum from another link, he may have to fill in the informationin the form including his ID and password, the targeted user's ID, andthe transaction number to which the comment relates. The form may listthe successful bidder for the item as shown in blocks 850 and 863. Itmay list the item which was the subject of the auction as shown in 860,as well as listing the transaction number of the auction as shown inblock 861. The successful bidder would be prompted to enter his userpassword and user ID (if not already filled in) in blocks 851 and 853respectively. The form may include a list of predefined comments fromwhich the seller may pick one comment about the successful bidder (inother embodiments more than one comment may be selected). The commentsare contained within three drop-down boxes 870-872, one box containingpositive comments, one box for neutral comments, and another fornegative comments. A variety of comments may be contained within each ofthe boxes as shown in FIG. 8B and the comments may include fields thatsubstitute the name of the item or user when being displayed. In otherembodiments, the predefined comments may be listed in any conceivablemanner such as, but not limited to, check boxes, single drop-down boxesfor all comment types, lists with radio buttons, and list boxes withscroll bars. Once the seller has selected a comment and entered in hispassword, he may send the comment to the auction facility for posting byselecting the “Submit Comment” button 880.

In one embodiment of the invention, the forms of FIGS. 7A and 8Aincluding the predefined comments are displayed in a user's preferredlanguage or a default language associated with a user. The displaylanguage may be determined based on a registered user's listed languagepreference, or it may be based on the language of the state associatedwith the site through which the user is registered. Because the commentsare predefined, identical versions of the comments may be provided in avariety of language choices.

Referring to FIG. 6A, after the comment is received by the Auctionfacility 400, it is associated with the target user in block 615.Additionally, in alternative embodiments the comment may also beassociated with transaction record and/or the user making the comment.In a preferred embodiment, the comment is only stored in one or at mosta few locations within mass storage of the Internet auction facility400. In block 620, a pointer or indicator unique to the comment alongwith additional information relating to the user commenting and thetransaction involved are stored within the targeted users databaserecord.

After the comment has been stored with the targeted user's databaserecord, it may be retrieved for viewing. Typically, any user of theauction facility can access a listing of comments made about aparticular user through links provided throughout web pages associatedwith the auction facility 400. When a request is made to see thecomments about a targeted user, the comment indicators stored within thetargeted user's database record are retrieved. The comments associatedwith the indicators are then retrieved from storage as shown in block625 in the preferred or default language of the user requesting to viewthe comments. The comments are then transmitted to the user in a formatsimilar to the format presented in prior art FIG. 1 for display.

In the preferred embodiment, the targeted user may respond to a commentmade about him. FIG. 6B is a flow chart showing the methodology followedby an exemplary feedback forum when a target user requests to respond toa comment about him. The forum receives the request to respond in block635. In block 640, a response comment form such as the one illustratedin FIG. 8 is sent to the target user for display on his computer. If thetargeted user is known (i.e., he has signed in with the auctionfacility), the form, the comment to which he is responding and thepredefined response comment choices will all be displayed in the user'spreferred language. Alternatively, the form and associated predefinedcomments may be displayed in the default language associated with thedomain suffix of the national site through which he entered the auctionfacility (e.g., auctionfacility.jp.com would indicate that the formshould be displayed in Japanese).

The representative response comment form as shown in FIG. 9 is similarto the forms of FIGS. 7A and 8A except for the choices of predefinedcomments available to the targeted user. In a preferred embodiment, thelist of predefined response comments 910 relate directly to the natureof the comment 905 made about the targeted user. For instance, if thecomment left about the targeted user was that the item he sold waspackaged improperly, then the response comments might respond only tothe manner in which the item was packaged. Once the targeted user haschosen a response comment, he may send it to the auction facility byclicking the “Submit Response” button.

Upon receipt of the response comment choice as shown in block 645 ofFIG. 6B, an indicator for the response comment is linked to the commentto which it is a response and stored in the targeted user's databaserecord in 650. At the request of a user to view the comment writtenabout the targeted user, the response comment is retrieved from storagebased on its indicator along with the related comment and displayed tothe user in the language associated with the user in block 655 and 660.Typically, the response comments will be displayed next to or underneaththe comment to which it relates.

In the preferred embodiment, the commenting user is given an opportunityto respond to the targeted user's response to his initial comment. Themethodology involved in such a response is similar to that discussedabove in reference to FIG. 6B.

An Alternative Feedback Forum Methodology

In some instances, it may be desirable to retain the free-form commentmethodology currently utilized in the prior art. Limiting a user'scomments to only predefined choices is somewhat restrictive and may notin many cases provide the degree of information content that a free-formcomment might. For example, a free-form comment expressing rage anddissatisfaction, perhaps through the use of profanity or other strongwords, might act as a stronger deterrent to a prospective bidder frombidding on a product being auctioned by the user about whom the commentwas left than a rather sanitized comment stating the condition of anitem was less than what it was represented as.

On the other hand, any advantages that may be associated with free-formcomments may be outweighed by the detrimental effects related to thecontent of the free-form comments. For example, the auction facility maybe liable for slander to a user resident of certain jurisdictions havingstrict slander laws. Additionally, in certain states such as certainIslamic nations, the auction facility may be subject to civil andcriminal penalties for publishing comments with content that isconsidered inappropriate in those states.

The FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method of operating a feedback forum inwhich a user is able to leave a free-form comment unless he or thetarget user of the comment are residents or are associated with statesin which publishing free-form comments may subject the auction facilityto civil or criminal liability. In FIG. 10, the default behavior of thefeedback forum is to allow the user to leave a free-form comment,however a feedback forum in which the default behavior allows the userto leave predefined comments is also contemplated unless it is verifiedthe commenting user and the targeted user are from certain states.

In block 1005, the auction facility receives a request from a user toleave a comment about a targeted user. In block 1010, the auctionfacility system determines whether the commenting user and the targeteduser are known. For instance, if the commenting user is a seller, he mayclick on a leave a comment button from within a transaction page for anitem he has auctioned. In this case, the system would know the names ofthe users and the particular transaction number related to the item.Assuming the names of the users are known, the system determines whethereither user is from a select set of states with strict slander orcontent laws in block 1015. If either user is from or associated withthe select set of states, the user is sent a feedback form withpredefined comment choices in block 1020. A typical form would besimilar to the illustration of FIG. 7A. The feedback processing wouldthen follow the processing as described supra with regard to FIGS. 6Aand 6B as indicated in block 1025.

Referring back to block 1010, if the system is unable to verify theidentities of either user as would be the case if the commenting userentered the feedback forum from a link other than the link listed on apage related to a particular auction, the user is sent the standardfree-form feedback form as shown in prior art FIG. 2. After the userfills out the form by entering the free-form comment, his ID andpassword, the ID of the target of the comment, and the item transactionnumber, and sends the form to the auction facility, the auction facilitysystem determines whether either identified user is from the select setof states in block 1040. If either is, the user is sent a feedback formwith predefined comment choices as illustrated in FIG. 7A. If neither isfrom the select set of states, the comments are posted to the targetuser's database record for review by other users as indicated in block1045.

Referring back to block 1015, if the neither user is from the select setof states, the FIG. 2 free-form feedback form is sent to the user and isprocessed using prior art techniques as indicated in blocks 1050 and1055.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evidentthat various modifications and changes may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Forinstance, in the embodiments of the invention described above, markuplanguage documents are utilized in the display of comments and commentselection options to the client, it is to be noted that other types ofinterfaces visual or audio are contemplated as would be obvious to oneskilled in the art. Furthermore, the embodiments have been described interms of an auction facility, however it is contemplated that thefeedback forum might be utilized in other types of e-commerce forumswhere information about users of the system would be useful. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. A computer-implemented method ofreceiving buyer feedback, the method comprising: generating, for displayat the conclusion of a transaction for an item in an ecommerce system,feedback options related to the item, the feedback options includingpositive, neutral, and negative options; receiving a buyer selection ofthe positive, neutral or negative feedback option; generating predefinedfeedback comments for display, the predefined feedback comments beingrelated to the item and being generated dependent upon the buyerselection of the positive, neutral, or negative option; and receiving abuyer selection of a predefined feedback comment related to the item. 4.The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further including storing anindicator associated with the selected feedback.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein generating predefinedfeedback comments includes generating the predefined feedback comment toinclude a name of the item.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim5, wherein generating predefined feedback comments further includesaccessing an item table from a network-based transaction system, theitem table storing a plurality of item names including the name of theitem.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein generatingpredefined feedback comments further includes generating the predefinedfeedback comment in a first language.
 8. The computer-implemented methodof claim 7, wherein generating the predefined feedback comment in afirst language includes determining the first language based on at leastone of: a language preference of the buyer, or a geographical regioncorresponding to the buyer.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim3, wherein generating feedback options related to the item is responsiveto receiving a request from the buyer, the request being to submitfeedback regarding the item.
 10. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 9, further including prompting the buyer to submit feedbackregarding the item.
 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10,wherein prompting the buyer to submit feedback regarding the itemincludes displaying an icon as a prompt to submit the feedback.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the prompting of thebuyer occurs subsequent to a conclusion of an auction for the item. 13.The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further including presentingthe buyer selection of a predefined feedback comment, wherein presentingthe buyer selection of a predefined feedback comment is based on theindicator associated with the selected feedback.
 14. The computer haveimplemented method of claim 15, wherein presenting the buyer selectionof a predefined feedback comment is in response to reception of arequest from a second user, the request being to view the selectedpredefined feedback comment.
 15. A system comprising: a database engineserver having one or more processors, the database engine server beingconfigured to: generate, for display at the conclusion of a transactionfor an item in an ecommerce system, feedback options related to theitem, the feedback options including positive, neutral, and negativeoptions; receive a buyer selection of the positive, neutral or negativefeedback option; generate predefined feedback comments for display, thepredefined feedback comments being related to the item and beinggenerated dependent upon the buyer selection of the positive, neutral ornegative option; receive a buyer selection of a predefined feedbackcomment related to the item; and store the buyer selection of thepredefined feedback comment in a feedback table; and a databasecommunicatively coupled to the database engine server, the databaseincluding the feedback table.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein thedatabase engine server is further configured to store an indicatorassociated with the selected feedback.
 17. The system of claim 15,wherein the database engine server is further configured to generate thepredefined feedback comment to include a name of the item.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein: the database includes an item table storinga plurality of item names including the name of the item; and thedatabase engine server is further configured to accessing the itemtable.
 19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprisinginstructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine,cause the machine to operations comprising: generating, for display atthe conclusion of a transaction for an item in an ecommerce system,feedback options related to the item, the feedback options includingpositive, neutral, and negative options; receiving a buyer selection ofthe positive, neutral or negative feedback option; generating predefinedfeedback comments for display, the predefined feedback comments beingrelated to the item and being generated dependent upon the buyerselection of the positive, neutral or negative option; and receiving abuyer selection of a predefined feedback comment related to the item.20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19,wherein the operations further comprise storing an indicator associatedwith the selected feedback.
 21. The non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium of claim 19, wherein generating predefined feedbackcomments includes generating the predefined feedback comment to includea name of the item.
 22. The non-transitory machine-readable storagemedium of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise accessing anitem table from a network-based transaction system, the item tablestoring a plurality of item names including the name of the item.